Competitive Research Programme (CRP)

Engineering of a Scalable Photonics Platform for Quantum Enabled Technologies

PI: Dr. Leonid Krivitskiy, A*Star DSI

Photonics opens up new possibilities for implementation of large-scale quantum networks

When it comes to fending off eavesdroppers attempting to steal information, quantum networks offer much more security than regular modes of communications like email or phone.

But such networks, which rely on the distribution of quantum information or “qubits”, have always been hard to implement on a large-scale. Dr Leonid Krivitskiy aims to prove otherwise with his research on integrated photonic technologies.

Quantum networks today employ stationary quantum systems as nodes that process and store quantum information, with optical links that connect these nodes and transfer qubits between them. However, large-scale quantum networks are still besieged by major challenges such as maintaining an efficient connection between stationary nodes and their optical links, and the lack of a scalable and easy-to-fabricate platform that can accommodate both stationary nodes and their optical links.

Dr Krivitskiy’s approach is to encode quantum information in spin states of atomic defects in diamond nanoparticles and use them as stationary nodes. These nanoparticles will be interconnected via optical waveguides made of low-loss Silicon Nitride, and optically-resonant nano-structures will enhance the coupling of photons emitted from the nanoparticles into the waveguides. Photons will be sent to different nodes to create quantum entanglement between them. For readout of qubits, he and his team plan to develop on-chip single photon-sensitive photodetectors.